Before this year’s EVO championship series kicked off, I was vaguely concerned. The usually reliable hype-factory Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was on first – way too early for my idiot band of friends to truly enjoy. Blazblue was next, followed by the big-stage debut for Tekken 7 and then Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, which has fairly equal potential to be both amazing or boring. Tournament entrant numbers were down, and after a year of particularly negative word of mouth around flagship fighters like Street Fighter 5, I just had an iffy feeling about the whole thing. But, no – this year’s EVO was, again, amazing.

Last year when I talked about EVO I focused on Street Fighter 5. While that game is undoubtedly still the driving force behind my EVO obsession, it’s long since escalated beyond Street Fighter. I began watching with my friends because we loved SF4, but things snowballed from there.

We’d watch Marvel, Tekken, Persona 4 Arena. When Super Smash Bros made its triumphant return to EVO thanks to a charity donation drive we were ecstatic – we knew little about the competitive Smash community, but it was a game we all knew and had put many hours into being played at a level we scarcely imagined existed.

EVO became a tradition for us; as many as twelve of us would hole up in an overcrowded room to watch live. Things escalated. Watching on a 40-inch TV gave way to a 100-inch projector screen. One of my friends, a bar manager, turned up one year with a shed load of booze and a custom cocktail menu with drinks based off and named after games and characters we’d see on stream. That too became tradition, and this year the group knocked back cocktails like the Devil Gin for Tekken, the on-fire Yoga Burner for Street Fighter and the blue-and-red When’s Marvel for… well, you get the picture. It’s an amazing night.

But I was still worried. This year was strange. The substitution of the tried-and-tested Super Smash Bros. Melee for Smash 4, a game that’s even longer in the tooth, was a bit of a question mark. I never think Blazblue is particularly interesting. Tekken 7 is an amazing game, but I was yet to be fully convinced of it being all that watchable. Pretty much all of those fears ended up being unfounded.

“Street Fighter 5’s EVO 2017 top eight was the finest championship final of any Street Fighter I’ve ever seen.”

Special commendation has to be given to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, which featured a diverse, eclectic top eight featuring a wide range of different characters and none of the same-player, same-character stuff we so often see in Melee. It feels like an incredibly dynamic game right now even if it’s a little on the slow side in tournament runtime.

The goodbye to Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was poignant, but it has to be said that one can sense that the game is at its natural conclusion, with tournaments driven by gimmicks and character quirks that, were it still contemporary to Capcom, would be patched in an instant. It was a bittersweet goodbye, made better only by the fact that we all know two great-looking new versus-style tag team fighters are incoming in the form of Dragon Ball FighterZ and Marvel vs Capcom Infinite.

But then, wow – I hate to bring it all back around to this one, but I have to. Street Fighter 5. Goodness me: after all the belly-aching, all the complaining, all the left behind jokes – Street Fighter 5’s EVO 2017 top eight was the finest championship final of any Street Fighter I’ve ever seen.

Sure enough, there have been individual matches that beat it. I’ll never forget Poongko taking out Daigo in Street Fighter 4, and it’s probably no surprise that no individual moment here matched Street Fighter 3’s genre-defining EVO moment 37, but in terms of a couple of hours of fighting game action this was the finest I’ve ever seen. We had numerous characters, players with histories and compelling personal storylines behind their path to the championship, and many of the matches where nail-bitingly close.

EVO felt like it had a bit of a rough year, with entrant numbers for games like Street Fighter 5 and Smash Bros down to the tune of something like 40% on 2016’s record-shattering numbers. This was likely was driven by a far more expensive entrance fee alongside a rough general perception around the state of games like SF5, but you wouldn’t have been able to sense the dip last night. The fighting game community has never looked more vibrant, more mad, and frankly more beautiful.

As the newly crowned Street Fighter champion Tokido struck one of the signature poses of Akuma on stage, Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay seemed like so much more than just an arena. It had all the fanaticism of a church. Veteran Street Fighter commentator James Chen sort of summed it up best: he just burst into tears on stream in front of hundreds of thousands of people. Chen crying is actually something of a meme at this point, but this year it felt especially appropriate: this year’s EVO felt like one of the strongest arguments yet for fighting games as the most exhilarating eSport possible.

This is a drum I’ve been beating here on VG247 for a while, but there really is something about fighters. Being built for arcade competition simply makes them the best possible video game to spectate. Where other genres found themselves in online play or closed LAN parties, fighters were built for arcades, where a stranger could walk up, pop a quarter into the corner of your screen and demand to challenge you. They were built for that raw competition, and for the spectacle of people crowding around a monitor whooping and hollering.

This is why EVO and fighting games are special. Even as they grapple with the faux-polished, immature world of esports, they’ve held on to the culture that made fighting games a success in the arcade. They have remembered their roots. Some I know fear this; they watch as the fighting game community struggles to marry their relentless, raw energy with the sense of try-hard glamor around broadcasts on ESPN and worry that fighters may lose their soul. I don’t think they will, though. Sometimes that ends up weird, the community like an awkward teen who borrows their dad’s suit to look smart. This tournament is proof it can work, however.

“This is why EVO and fighting games are special. Even as they grapple with the faux-polished, immature world of esports, they’ve held on to the culture that made fighting games a success in the arcade.”

The combination of EVO and Street Fighter remains the most accessible and open expression of this: a game that anyone can understand with incredible depth.

Because of this I’m hoping that rumored free Super Street Fighter 5 update is announced before the end of the year, but I’m also pumped for the future of fighting games in general. In the coming months we have Dragon Ball Fighterz, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, and a slew of DLC for SF, Injustice and Tekken. No doubt a Smash is on the way for Switch too and Mortal Kombat 11 is a matter of when, not if. It’s a fantastic time to like fighters.

Ultimately this is about the people more than the games, though. That’s what Chen’s tears were for. Not for the games, but for the incredible people that make them what they are. They’re for the cheering, ecstatic fans, so much more vibrant than your average stony-faced, energy drink chugging esports crowd. They’re for the teary-eyed parents watching their 18-year-old son play live on TV in front of millions of people. They’re even for the stream monsters at home, curtains shut, spamming memes in the chat and looking forward to Thursday. And all of them – this entire community – is really something special and beautiful. Even the stream monsters. Sometimes.

I’ve said it before, but fighting games really are amazing right now. If you’re not playing, if you’re not watching, if you’re not going to your dinky local tournament, you should. It might be the best video game experience you’ll ever have.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2017/07/17/evo-2017-was-a-mindblowing-demonstration-of-how-great-fighting-games-are-right-now/feed/0EVO 2017: everything you need to know about the world’s biggest fighting game tournament, including how to watchhttps://www.vg247.com/2017/07/14/evo-2017-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-worlds-biggest-fighting-game-tournament-including-how-to-watch/
https://www.vg247.com/2017/07/14/evo-2017-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-worlds-biggest-fighting-game-tournament-including-how-to-watch/#respondFri, 14 Jul 2017 14:32:41 +0000https://www.vg247.com/?p=636981For fighting game fans, it’s the most wonderful time of year.

EVO is the biggest event in the fighting game calendar for fans of multiple games – while there are very big, publisher-sponsored events like Capcom Cup for individual games, EVO is the single biggest couple of days for fans of fighting games in general, when thousands of players and fans invade Las Vegas to battle it out in both official and side tournaments for just about every game you can imagine.

This year will be EVO’s fifteenth, and the tournament has come quite a way. From garages and local arcades, it now takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Vegas – and the grand finals on Sunday 16 July will take place in the Mandalay Bay Arena, the 12,000 seat arena where a lot of boxing and UFC bouts take place – somehow appropriate.

Given that EVO is this weekend and I’m an absolute addict, I figured I’d put together a little EVO hub to help you watch too. If you’ve never watched before, EVO is the perfect place to jump into the fighting game community for the first time. So – let’s do it.

What games are at EVO 2017?

The official main event games at the show are:

Street Fighter 5 (2622 entrants)

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (1506 entrants)

Super Smash Bros. Melee (1428 entrants)

Tekken 7 (1283 entrants)

Guilty Gear Xrd Rev2 (817 entrants)

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (650 entrants)

Blazblue: Central Ficton (497 entrants)

King of Fighters 14 (374 entrants)

In addition to this, fans run an absolute shed load of side tournaments for just about every game you can imagine. If you’re still clinging to Super Street Fighter II Turbo or Street Fighter X Tekken, the community has you covered. Likewise for things like Skullgirls, Pokken Tournament, Persona 4 Arena, Gundam Versus and even things like Puyo Puyo Tetris and Catherine.

Where to watch EVO 2017 streams

From 10am Pacific time on Friday 14 July you’ll be able to tune into several EVO channels to watch different games. At its most intense there’ll be a whopping nine channels of action covering different games. Here are all the channels, plus a smattering of what to expect on them:

Featuring Street Fighter, Smash Bros. Melee, Tekken, Smash Bros. Wii U, Guilty Gear Xrd, King of Fighters XIV, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Blazblue, Injustice – this channel switches about between games, giving you a glimpse of every facet of EVO. The grand finals of every game is played on this channel, and on Sunday this channel is the only one airing.

The Top 8 Grand Finals of Street Fighter 5 will also be televised on ESPSN2, while the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Grand Finals will be televised on Disney XD.

EVO 2017 stream schedule

There’s a handy visual version of this info with stream times, too. Here it is:

What should I watch if I’m new to EVO?

If you’re new to EVO or Fighting Games at a competitive level, on Friday and Saturday you should try The Jump Off – a special show found on the EVO5 channel that jumps between all the main stage games at EVO, putting commentator teams together who can break down the games and explain what makes them special. It’s basically a way of learning about all the games at EVO, which is cool, and it should in theory work just as well for beginners as it might for a Street Fighter player who wants to learn more about competitive Smash. We’ll embed that below.

If you feel like you know all about fighters already but want variety, use the EVO main channel, embedded above – all nine of the major games will feature on there.

When are the grand finals of each game?

Over the course of the weekend each game will have its massive entrant numbers reduced through elimination until they reach the top 8 players. These top 8 players will make up the ‘grand finals’ of each game – and this is where you’ll really get players making the biggest effort and where the stakes are raised particularly high.

For posterity, here’s the grand finals times if you want to catch these often nail-biting matches:

King of Fighters 14: Friday, 8pm Pacific US time

Guilty Gear Xrd: Saturday, 2pm Pacific US time

Injustice 2: Saturday, 5pm Pacific US time

Super Smash Bros. Melee: Saturday, 8pm Pacific US time

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Sunday, 7:45am Pacific US time

Blazblue: Central Fiction: Sunday, 10am Pacific US time

Tekken 7: Sunday, 12:20pm Pacific US time

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: Sunday, 3pm Pacific US time

Street Fighter 5: Sunday, 7pm Pacific US time

Seriously, though, why should I watch this?

For my money, the reason you should watch EVO is simple: pound-for-pound, fighting games are the most exciting, easy to grasp eSport going. There’s no worrying about some of the more obtuse aspects of MOBA games or struggling to understand the greater perspective of a match as you might in a competitive FPS: fighters are easy to understand. Two people going at it. Life bars.

Fighting games were bred and built for competition in arcades, where two people would stand as little as inches apart and duke it out. That element of competition is baked into the genre deep, and that’s felt in every pore of EVO and other fighting tournaments. Honestly, it’s amazing stuff. Give it a shot.

Will there be game announcements at EVO?

It’s extremely unlikely any actual games will make their debut at EVO, but companies do exhibit at the show and often bring announcements such as DLC or new reveals for upcoming game. The following companies are around:

Square Enix: A first for this JRPG giant, they’ll be showcasing and possibly making announcements around the RPG/fighter cross-over Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT

Ark System Works: With Arc holding a panel featuring SNK and Bandai Namco, there’s a chance for some news on one of their fighters or even some crossover news.

Nintendo: They’re unlikely to announce anything major, but Nintendo will be at EVO with Pokken Tournament DX.

There are also a lot of indie fighters showing up there – more than we can mention here.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2017/07/14/evo-2017-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-worlds-biggest-fighting-game-tournament-including-how-to-watch/feed/0Hey Pikmin, Arms release date, new Amiibo and all the other Switch and 3DS news and trailers from today’s Nintendo Directhttps://www.vg247.com/2017/04/13/hey-pikmin-arms-release-date-new-amiibo-and-all-the-other-switch-and-3ds-news-and-trailers-from-todays-nintendo-direct/
https://www.vg247.com/2017/04/13/hey-pikmin-arms-release-date-new-amiibo-and-all-the-other-switch-and-3ds-news-and-trailers-from-todays-nintendo-direct/#respondThu, 13 Apr 2017 00:37:35 +0000https://www.vg247.com/?p=625509Today’s Nintendo Direct delivered a lot of great news for 3DS and Switch fans.

Nintendo dropped a huge stack of 3DS and Switch news today. Let’s try to get through it in a sensible fashion so we can all knock off for the holiday weekend.

Kicking off with major Switch release dates, then. Although Splatoon 2’s release date was the biggest news, two other first-party Switch titles are launching before it.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe releases on April 28. It will have more characters, carts, and tracks unlocked from the beginning than any other Mario Kart game to date.

Arms, Nintendo’s motion control-optional versus fighter, arrives in Europe and North America on June 16. The fighter will be accompanied by three new accessories – a Neo yellow Joycon, a matching Joycon strap, and a battery life extender attachment.

New 3DS announces

It’s Kirby’s birthday, and to kick off a year of celebrations, Team Kirby Clash Deluxe has been released on 3DS. It’s free, and you can play it right now. Check out a trailer above.

Similarly, BYE-BYE BOXBOY is out right now on 3DS.

For fans of ordering little creatures around, Hey Pikmin is releasing for 3DS in Europe and North America on July 28. There’s no official trailer embed yet, but the capture above is the relevant portion of the Nintendo Direct presentation. A new Hey Pikmin Amiibo will launch alongside the game, on the same day.

Amiibo

Speaking of Amiibo, Bayonetta, Cloud and Corrin Super Smash Bros. Amiibo will release on July 21. There will be two versions of each Ammibo – a male and female Corrin, Bayo as she appears in the original game and then in the sequel, and Cloud in classic and fancy new outfits.

The three expectedLegend of Zelda Amiibo were confirmed. Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword Link all release June 23.

Take a look at some images in the tweets embedded below; you’ll also get a look at the new Splatoon 2 Amiibo.

Switch and 3DS release dates, April through “summer”

Nintendo put release dates and windows on a stack of Switch and 3DS games today.

Most immediately, Puyo Puyo Tetris releases on Switch on April 25, and a demo is available right now. Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition releases May 11, while Disgaea 5 Complete releases may 25, with a demo due very soon. Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers follows on its heels on May 27. Fate/Estella releases July 25.

Oh, and a standalone Switch Dock will become available May 19, in case you need an extra.

The rest of the Switch games Nintendo discussed didn’t get solid release dates, but are coming to Switch during northern summer: Sonic Mania, Project Mekuru, Namco Museum and Sine Mora Ex.

We have a trailer for Sine Mora Ex, which boasts local co-op and a versus mode. Below that you’ll find one for Namco Museum, which bundles Pac-Man, Dig-Dug, Galaga, Galaga ’88, The Tower of Druaga, Rolling Thunder, Rolling Thunder 2, SkyKid, Splatterhouse and Tank Force. It has leaderboards, a challenge mode and works in vertical mode.

On 3DS, look for Ever Oasis on June 23, RPG Maker Fes on June 27, and Culdcept Revolt August 29.

Sometime during northern summer we’ll also get Kirby’s Blowout Blast on 3DS. It has over 25 stages and will be available exclusively through the eShop.

Autumn, spring and winter 3DS and Switch releases

Although we didn’t get a solid release date, Yo-kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters will release on 3DS in North America in northern autumn. It’s the “definitive” re-release of the second Yo-Kai Watch game, with new yo-kai including wicked and Boss types to befirend, Darknyan’s origin story, extra quests, an overhauled Blasters co-op mode, and the “ability to hop on the Hexpress to a new resort area.

Similarly, Monster Hunter Stories is on its way to Europe and North America in northern autumn. The 3DS exclusive released in Japan in October 2016, and is more story-driven than other Monster Hunter titles, which are hardcore action RPGs first and foremost.

Nintendo’s own Miitopia is coming west on 3DS, too, but Nintendo didn’t give a date beyond 2017. The Switch port of Payday 2 is likewise dated for 2017.

Nintendo said more NeoGeo games are coming to Switch this year, including Samurai Shodown, but gave no dates.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2017/04/13/hey-pikmin-arms-release-date-new-amiibo-and-all-the-other-switch-and-3ds-news-and-trailers-from-todays-nintendo-direct/feed/0Nintendo rolls out a major E3 eShop salehttps://www.vg247.com/2016/06/14/nintendo-rolls-out-a-major-e3-eshop-sale/
https://www.vg247.com/2016/06/14/nintendo-rolls-out-a-major-e3-eshop-sale/#respondTue, 14 Jun 2016 21:08:07 +0000https://www.vg247.com/?p=588402If the wait seems long for anticipated games, why not pick up a few Nintendo classics?

Nintendo rolls out a major E3 eShop sale

After a long day of watching the latest The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild reveals, it’s always fun to kick back with a game that you won’t need to wait several months for. Thankfully, Nintendo is delivering on that front with a major digital sale in its eShop. Several games for both the Wii U and 3DS have seen price cuts, with some titles getting an extra 10% discount if your My Nintendo account is linked to your Nintendo Network ID.

Fans in Europe voted her to the top of the polls, while North American players ranked her in the top five. Nintendo admitted these results do not include characters that weren’t possible – due to licensing, probably.

The Bayonetta DLC includes a new stage, Umbra Clock Tower, and her colour variants include a Jeanne skin.

The DLC was not dated. A Bayonetta Amiibo will release next year.

Bayonetta 2 was published by Nintendo for Wii U, so this is a nice bonus for platform faithfuls and those who might have followed the powerful witch to her new home.

Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy 7 will be available as a DLC character for Super Smash Bros. 3DS and Wii U today, Nintendo has announced.

The news came during today’s Nintendo Direct, and was accompanied by a wonderful illustration from original FF7 character designer (and Remake director) Tetsuya Nomura, which you can check out below.

Cloud’s gameplay is a bit unusual in that it includes a Limit Break. This unique move is charged by dealing or receiving damage, or with the standard Down Special. It activates automatically when the gauge is maxed out, boosting Cloud’s stats and changing his attacks into Limit Break moves.

As well as the base skin, Cloud has two costumes based on Advent Children. His DLC includes a Midgar stage, with cool summon monster effects – even in the 3DS version.

You should find the ex-SOLDIER waiting for you “a few hours” after the presentation ends. He’ll set you back $6 on one platform or $7 for both.

Super Smash Bros. will soon be graced by another new challenger: Corrin, the main character of Fire Emblem Fates

As with the Wii Fit instructor, and in keeping with the source material, male and female versions of Corrin will be available; the two are functionally identical. Corrin’s moves include a Dragon Ascent special that changes their appearance.

The new fighter doesn’t have a dedicated stage, but buying them as DLC will also net you two new musical tracks. The 3DS version of the DLC also comes with Ryomo and Xander trophies.

The new combatant was revealed during today’s Nintendo Direct, which will also provide more detail on Cloud Strife, and will be available in February. A Corrin Amiibo will release next year.

Like Corrin? Fire Emblem Fates releases on 3DS in North America in February, with Europe and PAL territories to follow later in 2016. Two versions will be available at retail with a third released digitally; you can pick up all three in a special edition to get the full story in one hit.

A Super Mario Maker level will be added to Super Smash Bros. 3DS and Wii U on September 30, Nintendo has announced.

Pieced together from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Worlds and New Super Mario Bros., the level is rebuilt dynamically around players during battles – you’ll see this in action in the trailer below.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/09/15/super-smash-bros-getting-a-mario-maker-level/feed/0EVO 2015 kicks off today with Super Smash Bros., Ultra Street Fighter 4, other matcheshttps://www.vg247.com/2015/07/17/evo-2015-tournaments-street-fighter-4-super-smash-bros/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/07/17/evo-2015-tournaments-street-fighter-4-super-smash-bros/#respondFri, 17 Jul 2015 12:44:11 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=538060The Evolution Championship Series (EVO) is the largest and longest-running fighting game tournament in the world, and it takes place in Las Vegas from today through July 19.

The tournaments kick off today at 8am PT/11am ET/4pm UK with a full card of Ultra Street Fighter 4 and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax bouts. There are also matches for Super Smash Bros. Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Melee along with Tekken 7 and Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN.

On Saturday, July 18 the following game tournaments will take place: Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat X and Killer Instinct. There will also be semi-finals or finals, depending on the title, for Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Tekken 7 and Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN.

On the final day, July 19, finals for the following games will take place: Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mortal Kombat X, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Ultra Street Fighter 4.

Roy, a returning series favourite, has had a visual overhaul. His final smash is called Critical Hit.

Ryu is unique in that you can control him two ways. If you use traditional Street Fighter controls to trigger his special moves, they’ll be stronger than the standard control versions. He has two Final Smash moves, and is the first character in the series’ history to do so.

Sakurai also presented a range of new Mii Fighter costumes, including some drawing on Sega’s Virtua Fighter series. The Akira costume is amusingly polygonal. Jackie’s is more modern. There’s also a Heihachi costume from Tekken. (Hmm. Do I sense more company crossover DLC characters?) New Mega Man, Animal Crossing and Splatoon costumes were also shown.

On to stages now. Dream Land from the original Smash Bros. game on N64 is coming back. Nintendo also showed off a Miiverse stage, which shows posts from character-specific Miiverse communities. Suzaku Castle from Street Fighter is being added, too, as is an Omega Forms stage.

All the new characters, costumes and stages will be available from the eShop as premium DLC today. Ryu, Ken, Roy, Lucas and Splatoon bonus trophies are available as of the latest update, along with three special trophies for All Star mode.

Multiple new Amiibo were announced – Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter and Mii Gunner are coming soon. R.O.B., Duck Hunt and Mr. Game & Watch are due in September. Falco is coming during the holidays. Lucas and Mewtwo are inbound but have not been dated.

Nintendo said every single Super Smash Bros. character will eventually have an Amiibo.

New features are also coming to Super Smash Bros. A community tournament mode called “Tournies” will be added in August, and you’ll soon be able to record and share replays directly to YouTube.

Watch the full presentation below.

Although you’ve seen them before, here are the official versions of the Ryo and Roy trailers.

No word on what the special Nintendo Direct session will cover, but it will be hosted by project lead Masahiro Sakurai. We expect to hear about upcoming DLC characters at the very least, joining the likes of MewTwo and Mother 3’s Lucas, who drops next month.

This will probably be the biggest Smash Bros. news drop of E3 2015. Nintendo hasn’t fronted a traditional E3 presentation for several years now, relying on Nintendo Direct and Nintendo Treehouse to communicate with consumers rather than press and trade. It does bring its products to the show floor, though.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/06/09/super-smash-bros-briefing-coming-before-e3-2015/feed/0Mewtwo now available for Super Smash Bros.https://www.vg247.com/2015/04/29/mewtwo-now-available-for-super-smash-bros/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/04/29/mewtwo-now-available-for-super-smash-bros/#respondWed, 29 Apr 2015 09:35:55 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=524401Anyone that didn’t get Mewtwo for free can now buy it from the eShop.

Mewtwo, the first DLC character for Super Smash Bros. was given for free to anyone that bought and registered both the Wii U and 3DS versions of the game.

This week, the character will be available for anyone to buy from the eShop. The US eShop received it last week and the EU eShop got it yesterday.

“Developing the Smash games is the best way to satisfy the most players worldwide. And that is precisely why we decided not only to distribute Mewtwo, but to also reintroduce Lucas, the protagonist of Mother 3, as a playable character,” Sakurai wrote in his latest Famitsu column, according to Sourcegaming‘s translation.

“In other words, we plan to release premium DLC (downloadable content) for Sm4sh.”

This is quite the reversal: Sakurai had said in the past that DLC wasn’t on the table, and indeed went on to describe what he calls “DLC scam”: “charging customers extra money to complete what was essentially an unfinished product”. He said he understands how this upsets players, and would never cut a game into pieces to make extra money by withholding finished fighters.

“The DLC we are releasing for Sm4sh is authentic, developed only after we finished working on the main game,” he promised.

“Of course, said content will come to you at a premium as compensation for the work put into developing additional content post-production. Nintendo has the final say on the price, but given the number of man-hours spent on the creation of this DLC, I’d say it’s a great deal.”

Sakurai said he’s excited to continue working with a smaller development team to continue supporting the game as well as producing new characters.

“Fighters take an incredible amount of work to develop, so I don’t think we’ll be able to produce that many. Part of me would also love to finish up the project and finally enjoy some rest and relaxation,” he added.

“That said, we’ve already begun development, so I would like to provide as much additional fun and excitement as possible from here on out. We’ll continue working for a little while longer.”

Sourcegaming has a full translation as well as the original Japanese text, if you’re after more details; Sakurai also discusses the decision to make Mewtwo available as premium DLC as well as as a free bonus for those who own both versions of the game.

Super Smash Bros. 3DS and Wii U were updated recently, and hacker shinyquagsire23 claims to have found some interesting files while poking around in the 3DS patch data.

As detailed on Reddit, the audio files included a new stage theme named “ryu”, which turned out to be Ryu’s stage theme from Street Fighter.

There was also a Fire Emblem victory theme named “roy”, and a couple of Kirby songs were found. This last one is a bit mysterious, since Kirby is a current cast member, but may relate to a new stage.

Polygon got in touch with the hacker, who said it’s very hard to prove the data is legitimate, of course. They also commented that there are no other references to the data beyond audio, and the files may be scrap.

So, in short: don’t get your hopes up too far. The original Super Smash Bros. release was littered with files which turned out to be from cut content, so even if these could be verified, it’s possible Nintendo has been experimenting and doesn’t mean to pursue these leads.

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/04/16/street-fighters-ryu-fire-emblems-roy-spotted-in-super-smash-bros-patch-rumour/feed/0Super Smash Bros. Mewtwo DLC codes rolling out nowhttps://www.vg247.com/2015/04/15/super-smash-bros-mewtwo-dlc-codes-rolling-out-now/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/04/15/super-smash-bros-mewtwo-dlc-codes-rolling-out-now/#respondWed, 15 Apr 2015 00:58:18 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=522167Super Smash Bros. players who own both the 3DS and Wii U version can expect their reward this week.

If you register Super Smash Bros. 3DS and Wii U with Nintendo, you’ll receive the Mewtwo character DLC for free.

NintendoEverything reports codes have begun popping up in the inboxes of eligible Japanese players, with European and North American roll out to follow within 24 hours.

Keep an eye on your relevant inbox, including the spam folder, to unlock Mewtwo as soon as possible. You’ll need to apply the latest patch, so get that done before you redeem the code on the eShop. You have until September 30 to redeem the code.

If you haven’t registered your games, or only own one of them, you can buy Mewtwo separately from April 28. He costs $4 on one platform or $5 on both.

Super Smash Bros. was one of the headlines of today’s Nintendo Direct.

The long awaited Mewtwo DLC will release on 3DS and Wii U on April 28 for $4 for one version or $5 for both platforms. If you already own both versions of the fighter, you’ll get the add-on for free on April 15.

Nintendo said more DLC is coming, in contrast to earlier statements on the matter from creator Masahiro Sakurai. A playable Lucas is coming in June, and loads of new outfits, some inspired by other games, are on the way. These include Smash Bros. T-Shirt, Dunban Outfit, Cat Suit, Monkey Suit, Link Outfit, Majora’s Mask, X’s Armor and Proto Man Armor.

Nintendo has opened a poll on its Super Smash Bros. website to see which new fighters players want to see, suggesting we may get even more DLC.

The fighter will also be patched to 1.0.6 to coincide with the DLC. It will prepare the game for the DLC as well as rebalance some characters. It will also add sharing capacities to the Wii U version, including Photos, Mii Fighters, Replays and Custom Stages.

Finally, Nintendo gave some details of its upcoming Amiibo.

On May 29, Charizard, PAC-MAN, Wario, Jigglypuff, Greninja, Robin, Lucina and Ness will be available in the Super Smash Bros. series.

Dark Pit and Palutena are coming in July, with Olimar and Pikmin, Zero Suit Samus, Bowser Jr., Ganondorf and Dr. Mario in September. Mewtwo and Lucas are coming, but have not been dated.

Super Smash Bros. Wii U is one of the first titles to make use of Amiibo in a really interesting way. Leveraging the figurine’s NFC storage, it allows you to store ghost data, sort of – training an AI opponent up based on your own style and approach.

Nintendo has finally caught on to how awesome this is and is launching an official Amiibo-only Super Smash Bros. tournament in Japan. Talented players and trainers will send their babies out to fight for glory. Amazing.

EventHubs has the details. We can only hope Nintendo of America and Nintendo Europe follow suit.

In the video below, Artsy Omni discusses how he created the footage which was later “leaked” to various forums. Regardless of how you feel about this kind of prank, it was pretty well executed.

What really impressed me about this rumour is how quickly the fanbase got behind it; I’ve seen video breakdowns of Rayman’s possible fighting style, Amiibo designs and loads of fan art. Maybe Nintendo and Ubisoft should make a deal; after all, the Rayman trophy in Super Smash Bros. shows they’re on decent terms.

This year’s Evo Championship Series will be held from July 17 through 19 in Las Vegas.

The 2015 line-up consists of usual suspects like the latest version of Capcom’s two big fighters, but also two variations of Smash Bros., fresh off the release of Super Smash Bros. Wii U and Nintendo’s growing acceptance of the eSports scene. Guilty Gear is making a return, too, and Killer Instinct has been welcomed back for a second year.

Although it’s subject to change and additions, here’s the announced line-up:

]]>https://www.vg247.com/2015/01/21/super-smash-bros-wii-u-ultra-street-fighter-4-headline-evo-2015/feed/0This Super Smash Bros. video will change the way you think of Mega Manhttps://www.vg247.com/2015/01/19/super-smash-bros-rap-video/
https://www.vg247.com/2015/01/19/super-smash-bros-rap-video/#respondMon, 19 Jan 2015 23:44:59 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=508326Super Smash Bros. is the cause of many a rivalry between friends, siblings, lovers, and even perfect strangers. And even between the characters, apparently.

This Smash Bros. rap from Smoosh comes with a billion content warnings for language, violence, sexism and Mega Man pooping himself in terror.

I tried not to find this as funny as I did, but I failed. Also, anybody to whom Villager’s fearsome reputation as a god damned killing machine comes as a surprise has clearly not been paying attention.

Apex 2015 will take place from January 30 through February 1 in Secaucus, New Jersey. All four Smash Bros. console games will be included, along with Ultra Street Fighter 4, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3,Guilty Gear X, Killer Instinct and Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

It turns out that creator Masahiro Sakurai isn’t a huge fan of designing for competitive fighting, and wants Smash Bros. games to remain accessible to everyone, which may explain why Nintendo’s been a bit slow to throw its support behind the eSports scene which has shown the franchise so much love. Let’s hope we see Smash Bros. taking centre stage at more eSports events moving forward.